I was just going to tag on my question/dilemma to another thread, but as I typed along, I felt I was too good for that thread 
. Right, enough of being cocky, its time to change the tires on the V10. I am in the middle of a costly motor build on my Mitsubishi (~20K) and my financial compass landed on the number 800 as the upper limit to my expenditure on a "Reasonable Tire" on the Treg. Full Disclosure: I am a fan of Costco's tire program in general. I have so far looked at the following options:
Michelin and Bridgestone: Love Costco's free balance program but out of the question due to price. Definitely not spending 1300$ on a set of tires. I have my track car for that kind of indulgence. If I get these brands, it would be pointless for me to get from anywhere else anyway.
BF Goodrich: Always had good experience with their tires for other cars, but nothing shows up for stock size (255 55 R18 ). I am sticking to this size for warranty and other reasons. The brand is also available from Costco but I don't think it will be in my budget through Costco.
Continental: Reading very good things about the "CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology", but looks like they get noisy about half way into their life. Not a huge negative, but want to practice due diligence in considering other options.
General: The "Grabber HTS" is the cheapest option of all considering it has 50$ rebate. It seems like it offers a soft ride and great wet and snow manners for an All-Season. Its basically strikes me as similar to the continental except that it has more sidewall flex and consequently, poorer steering response.
Pirelli: Everyone seems to be raving about the "Scorpion Verde All Season". The OEM VW specific version seems to be different from the open market version from some research I have done. The OEM version has very poor ratings, especially the 19" wheel owners seem to have bore the brunt of its poor performance. The ML and X5 owners have reported the open market version to be a very good tire for the money and I am inclined to believe them.
Yokohama: I currently have the AVID Envigor in stock size that I bought from the seller in this thread:
http://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f47/yokohama-avid-tires-4-brand-new-and-monster-mats-59608.html
They lasted me 35~40K miles and considering the way the Touareg is driven, we are happy with the life. Biggest complaint is road noise. Handling was decent, but experiencing tire-flex driving downhill on the freeway in the mountains of western NC was just nasty. They are very reasonably priced though. Any other options in this brand?
I couldn't find/overlooked worthwhile contenders form Dunlop, Goodyear, Sumitomo, Fuzion, Hankook and Kumho. If anybody has suggestions that fit the budget limit and are a quite and comfortable ride (wife's biggest complaint), I would love to hear about them.
. Right, enough of being cocky, its time to change the tires on the V10. I am in the middle of a costly motor build on my Mitsubishi (~20K) and my financial compass landed on the number 800 as the upper limit to my expenditure on a "Reasonable Tire" on the Treg. Full Disclosure: I am a fan of Costco's tire program in general. I have so far looked at the following options:Michelin and Bridgestone: Love Costco's free balance program but out of the question due to price. Definitely not spending 1300$ on a set of tires. I have my track car for that kind of indulgence. If I get these brands, it would be pointless for me to get from anywhere else anyway.
BF Goodrich: Always had good experience with their tires for other cars, but nothing shows up for stock size (255 55 R18 ). I am sticking to this size for warranty and other reasons. The brand is also available from Costco but I don't think it will be in my budget through Costco.
Continental: Reading very good things about the "CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology", but looks like they get noisy about half way into their life. Not a huge negative, but want to practice due diligence in considering other options.
General: The "Grabber HTS" is the cheapest option of all considering it has 50$ rebate. It seems like it offers a soft ride and great wet and snow manners for an All-Season. Its basically strikes me as similar to the continental except that it has more sidewall flex and consequently, poorer steering response.
Pirelli: Everyone seems to be raving about the "Scorpion Verde All Season". The OEM VW specific version seems to be different from the open market version from some research I have done. The OEM version has very poor ratings, especially the 19" wheel owners seem to have bore the brunt of its poor performance. The ML and X5 owners have reported the open market version to be a very good tire for the money and I am inclined to believe them.
Yokohama: I currently have the AVID Envigor in stock size that I bought from the seller in this thread:
http://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f47/yokohama-avid-tires-4-brand-new-and-monster-mats-59608.html
They lasted me 35~40K miles and considering the way the Touareg is driven, we are happy with the life. Biggest complaint is road noise. Handling was decent, but experiencing tire-flex driving downhill on the freeway in the mountains of western NC was just nasty. They are very reasonably priced though. Any other options in this brand?
I couldn't find/overlooked worthwhile contenders form Dunlop, Goodyear, Sumitomo, Fuzion, Hankook and Kumho. If anybody has suggestions that fit the budget limit and are a quite and comfortable ride (wife's biggest complaint), I would love to hear about them.
